Volcano induced tsunami in Indonesia takes over 350 lives

Three Months After Sulawesi volcano-induced tsunami in Indonesia takes over 350 lives and leaves 1,400 people injured. On Saturday the 22nd of December, a violent volcanic eruption caused a tsunami that struck three regions around the Sunda Strait.

With the recent Tsunami causing more devastation in Indonesia we have deployed a team to affected areas. There is a need for food, shelter, medical assistance & other basic items.

Islamic Relief Indonesia Country Director

My son was in the area, a popular weekend getaway for many Indonesians, when it happened. He ran for the hills, leaving all his belonging behind. I couldn’t get through to him or his friends for hours after. It was difficult to not think the worst.

Thankfully he is safe at home now but it was a real reminder of the constant danger that millions of people in Indonesia face every single day as we simply go about our lives. Most of the time you push it to the back of your mind, but every so often you are forced to face our sheer fragility in the face of natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

This year alone, we have seen the Lombok earthquake in August in which more than 100 people died, the devastating Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 2,000 lives, and now this latest tsunami in which a further 280 people have died. Tens of thousands have been injured and many more have lost their homes and been forcibly displaced.

Islamic Relief Response

Islamic Relief is on the ground delivering food, water & blankets to those displaced by the weekend’s tsunami in Tanjung Lesung-Benten province. We have been active in the four affected districts where there are over 600 damaged houses.